Pomegranate Smoothie + Sadie Looks Stressed

This Saturday morning has been go, go, go from the minute we woke up!

We spent the first hour of our day doing dishes and laundry and picking up around the apartment.

After snacking on a quesadilla (Colby jack string cheese warmed on a whole wheat quesadilla), Ryan and I headed to the gym for a fast and sweaty workout.

I did a random cardio hodgepodge that included:

• 10 min. stair master
• 30 min. elliptical
• 1 round At Home Cardio Blast (Same one I did last weekend)

Once Ryan and I were done at the gym, we headed home and leashed up Sadie for a 2.5 mile walk.

Sometimes I get the feeling that Sadie doesn’t particularly enjoy lots of loving cuddles on our walks…

I mean that face doesn’t exactly say “I love you, Mom! More cuddles, please!” 😉

Ryan and I couldn’t stop laughing when we saw her stressed out bug-eyed face in that picture.

In the words of Chandler Bing, she’s a hoot!

Once our walk was over, we ran a couple of errands and Ryan got a haircut. By the time we got back home it was after 11 a.m. and I was more than hungry!

Breakfast

I wanted a F-A-S-T breakfast and thought a cold, creamy smoothie sounded perfect.

I busted out the blender and got to work.

I made a pomegranate smoothie by combining the following:

• 1 c. POM Wonderful pomegranate cranberry juice
• 1 scoop vanilla protein powder
• 1 HUGE frozen banana
• 1/2 c. cottage cheese

The result was a thick, creamy smoothie with a little bit of tang from the pomegranate juice. It was tasty!

I served it in an adorable wine glass that I received from blog reader Alyssa who noticed that I am a huge lover of Etsy, an online marketplace where artists can sell handmade goods.

Alyssa has a super-crafty shop of her own through Etsy and sells hand painted wine glasses that she creates herself.

How cute is this Wine-O glass?

It’s definitely meant for a true wine-o, because it is huge!

 

It held my entire smoothie without a problem.

Plus, the glass matched my smoothie, and you guys know how much I love matchy matchy things. 😉

I gotta get runnin’ because I have a mani/pedi appointment today and then Ryan’s mom and her boyfriend are heading over to hang out for the rest of the day.

See ya in a bit!

Cocoa Overload

Over the weekend, I just couldn’t get enough of the mocha green monster smoothie I made for breakfast on Sunday and figured I would recreate the delicious concoction for breakfast this morning.

That was the plan, anyway.

I dug out all the necessary ingredients and threw them into the blender.

Spinach: A Green Monster Requirement

I left out the packet of instant coffee, thinking I would add it in at the end.

When I tasted the smoothie about half-way through the blending process, the chocolate flavor sparked a desire for a cocoa overload smoothie. Move over mocha!

I added 1.5 tbsp. of cocoa powder to the mix to intensify the flavor and a yummy, chocolatey smoothie was born.

As with every green monster, it looked revolting…

Cocoa Overload Green Monster

… but it tasted great!

Pour it Oooout

To Eat or to Drink. That is the Question.

Drink it is!

My smoothie contained:

• 1 frozen banana
• 2 handfuls fresh spinach
• 1 scoop chocolate protein powder
• 3/4 c. milk
• 3 ice cubes
• 1.5 tbsp. cocoa powder
• 1/2 tsp. xanthan gum (for thickening)

I inhaled this smoothie within 5 minutes, which left me feeling really full. That’s a lotta liquid!

Workout

I was craving a cold breakfast after getting quite overheated at the gym this morning.

I started off my workout with 25 minutes on the treadmill. I did a slightly modified version of a workout I saw on Holly’s blog.

My version of her workout looked like this:

25 Minute Incline Treadmill Workout

This workout was hardcore! I think I only looked at the speed of the workout, and not the incline and figured it would be a breeze.

False.

This workout seriously kicked my butt. I was huffin’ and puffin’ and red faced by the time 25 minutes were up.

Phew!

I wanted to browse through Betty Crocker’s new fall mini recipe book, so I finished up my workout with 25 minutes on the elliptical while drooling over the most delicious looking cake pops (submitted by Bakerella) and turtle brownies.

Maybe that’s what inspired my chocolate craving for breakfast?

…But then again, when don’t I want chocolate for breakfast? Or for every meal, for that matter? 😉

Annnd now it’s time to work. See ya fo’ lunch!

Wiiipe Out

So there I was… about three minutes into my run.

Beyoncé was singing her little lungs out telling me how I “wasn’t ready for her jelly.” I was feelin’ the music and setting my pace for the five miles ahead.

Apparently Sadie was feeling extra chipper this morning because she and found a stick and proceeded to jump around in front of me, trying to entice me with the big piece of wood almost immediately.

“No!” I told her.

“She knows not what she says. She clearly means OH YES! I want to play! What an awesome stick!” Sadie thought.

Usually when Sadie does this, it only lasts for 20 seconds or so, but today she was jumping around for a good minute or two. Eventually she jumped around behind me and my left foot got caught under her body and I went flying to the ground.

The result? A bloody knee.

Me and My Bum Knee

Though I was a little peeved at Sadie, she immediately got back into my good graces when she ran over to me to give me lots of kisses and a puppy hug.

How could I stay mad at this face?

"Oops. I Saw-ree, Mama."

Luckily my knee was just scraped up a bit and didn’t hurt too badly so we were able to dust ourselves off and complete our five mile run.

5 Mile Run Stats

Aside from the lil’ wipe out in the beginning, today’s run was a great one!

Breakfast

Just like my post-run breakfast on Tuesday, I was feelin’ a cold smoothie packed with fruit and protein.

Enter my piña colada green monster.

Pina Colada Green Monster

Into the blender went:

• 1 frozen banana
• 1/3 c. chopped pineapple
• 2 tsp. coconut extract
• 1 tsp. banana extract
• 1 large handful spinach
• 1 scoop vanilla protein powder
• 1 tsp. xanthan gum (for thickening)
• 3 ice cubes
• Enough milk to get everything movin’

Looks Minty... But It's Not

Drink Up, Buttercup

Guuuuulp

Yum!

Hopefully the spinach in my smoothie will do my body good like it did Popeye’s and help heal my busted knee! 😀

Question of the Morning

Have you ever injured yourself while working out or playing sports?

Hot Run, Cold Smoothie

Woo-wee!

This morning’s five mile run with Sadie was a toasty one!

5 Mile Stats

I’m not going to complain about the heat because I am too happy for negative thoughts, as today’s second attempt at running following my bruised heel also proved pain free! Woop woop! 😀

Since Florida heat doesn’t believe in dissipating throughout the night or in the early morning, I returned from my run looking awfully sweaty.

A cold breakfast was the only way to go.

Breakfast

This morning I busted out the blender to make myself a strawberry banana protein smoothie.

Strawberry Banana Protein Smoothie

Into the blender went:

• 1 frozen banana
• 3/4 c. frozen strawberries
• 3 ice cubes
• 1 tsp. xanthan gum
• 1 scoop All the Whey strawberry protein powder
• Enough milk to get everything movin’

Spoonful of Yummy

J is for Julie!

Quite a few of you have asked about this fancy-schmancy “J” cup. It is made by Tervis Tumbler and you may find them at Bed Bath and Beyond. The cup is virtually indestructible and the double-insulated walls greatly reduce condensation which is perfect for when you make cold drinks on a hot day.

Topped with a Straw

I love drinking a ginormous smoothie after a sweaty run.

It’s just so darn refreshing!

Happy Birthday to My Mama!!!

Today is a big day in the world of PBF!

Today is my mom’s birthday!

Mother-Daughter Love

Happy birthday to the most amazing mother in the whole wide world.

So Much Love

She Makes Me Happy

Happy Girls

Smilin' Over a Homecooked Meal

My mother is truly a remarkable woman.

Happy birthday, Mama. I love so many things about you:

• I love your unwavering optimism
• I love how I can always go to you for love and support
• I love how a bowl of your chicken noodle soup makes any sickness go away and any sad feelings subside
• I love that you shoot a basketball “granny style”
• I love how you always have a “Welcome Home Julie” sign on the door every time I come to visit
• I love that you now include Ryan and Sadie on that sign
• I love how you’re always up for anything
• I love that you said that you were thinking of your granddog when your doctor told you to think of something that made you happy
• I love how Aunt Laurie said she knew I was your daughter when she caught me eating cake for breakfast
• I love how unbelievably loving, giving and caring you are
• I love how strong you are and how you faced breast cancer with courage and a sense of hope and faith unmatched by anyone
• I love you for being the woman I strive to be every day

I can’t wait to celebrate your special day with you soon!

In honor of my mom’s birthday, feel free to share something you love about your mother below!

I Won’t Grow Up

This morning started off on the right foot with a five-mile run.

5 Mile Stats

I leashed Sadie up for our usual loop around the lake near our apartment and really enjoyed this run. I had a lot of things to think about which kept my mind busy and prevented me from thinking too much about the actual run itself. A full mind = A fast run!

Note: Save all your thinking for long runs. 😉

Breakfast

Though I really enjoyed our run, my breakfast was definitely the highlight of the morning thanks to the inclusion of two new ingredients in my breakfast smoothie.

Coo-Coo for Coconut

Since Ryan and I are heading south to the Keys around lunchtime today, I wanted to start my vacation a little early with a tropical smoothie. Coconut screams tropical, so I figured adding a little bit of coconut flava would immediately transplant me to a beach. 😉

My smoothie included:

• 1 frozen banana
• 1/2 c. frozen strawberries
• 1 scoop strawberry protein powder (vanilla would also work)
• 1/2 c. light coconut milk
• 1/2 c. cold water
• 1 1/2 tsp. coconut extract
• 4 ice cubes
• 1 tsp. Bob’s Red Mill xanthan gum

Blend baby, blend!

Island Pour

Spoonful of the Tropics

I filled my mega-huge “J” cup with the cold and creamy smoothie and slurped away.

J = Julie's Cup

I enjoyed this smoothie en route to the FedEx store because I had a package awaiting pickup.

In Transit Breakfast

Can you tell I hit several red lights and got bored on my way there??? 😉

Package Pickup

When I picked up my little package, I opened it immediately (as I do with all gifts…unless the sender is smart enough to write “don’t open until Christmas” or something to make me feel guilty for opening it early).

Check out the goods!

Chewy Vitamins

The kind people at Northwest Natural Products sent me two jars of gummy vitamins to sample after they read about how much I enjoyed their L’il Critters Gummy Bear vitamins. Apparently I need to grow up a bit and enjoy some “adult” vitamins. 🙂

Before taking gummy vitamins (I take a multi-vitamin and a calcium supplement every day), I would always forget to swallow a pill. Now that I’ve switched to gummy vitamins or chocolatey calcium supplements, I look forward to consuming something tasty and always remember.

Somethin’ to think about if you always forget to take  your vitamins! 😀

Since I had already taken my L’il Critters multi-vitamin before picking up this package, I decided to sample the VitaFusion calcium gummy.

Calcium Gummy

Two of these chews contain as much calcium as two 6-ounce glasses of milk, and as much vitamin D as 3 ounces of salmon. I’m a big proponent of added vitamin D to my calcium supplements because optimal levels of the  vitamin can aid in the prevention of breast and ovarian cancer. Gotta keep those ta-tas safe!

This gummy vitamin appealed to my candy-loving sweet tooth and tasted delicious. I think I could have eaten half the jar in one sitting, but since it’s a vitamin, I exercised some self control and only enjoyed two.

Question of the Morning

Do you take any vitamins or supplements every day?